Identifier device for implantable defibrillators and pacemakers
An identifier apparatus 10 for acquiring a signature signal frequency 12 from an implantable medical device 11 that is internally implanted in a patient. The apparatus 10 identifies the type of implantable medical device 11 and the device manufacturer by the unique signature signal frequency 12 of the manufacturer and device. The apparatus 10 aids healthcare providers with quick and exact knowledge of a patients implanted device.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/488,538 filed Sep. 17, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/878,807 filed Sep. 17, 2013, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a hand-held scanner to identify specific frequencies of radio waves emitted by devices surgically implanted in a body of a person, and match that emitted frequency to an associated manufacturer of the implanted device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe miracles of modern medicine continue to amaze. Cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIED's), which include implantable pacemakers, defibrillators, and implantable loop recorders, have been around for decades, and utilize the latest in electronics and computer technology. Such technology allows for small size, precise operation, increasingly improving battery longevity, recording of diagnostic data, and tailoring of operating parameters to individual patient needs. The end result is that millions of patients in the US, and abroad, benefit from CIED's with hundreds of thousands of new patients receiving implants every year. This results in an unusual challenge to healthcare providers who are caring for patients with CIED's.
Healthcare providers commonly require accessing of CIED diagnostic data and performed using RF telemetry enabled programmers supplied by the various manufacturers of the CIED's, which are not compatible with other manufactures CIED's. This has created an interesting dynamic within the healthcare world where trained programmer operators (often manufacturer representatives) are frequently called into clinical settings to use their programmer to interact with a patient's CIED and then provide valuable device information to the overseeing healthcare provider. This reliance on trained programmer operators occurs in virtually every clinical setting imaginable including physician offices, hospital settings, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, outpatient surgery centers, and emergency rooms. Typically, these trained programmer operators are not on site in these settings, so quick identification of a patient's CIED manufacturer is a necessary first step to facilitate notification of the appropriate programmer operator in a timely fashion. Despite significant advances in device related technology, methods for CIED manufacturer identification remain antiquated and have not kept pace with our evolving healthcare system that relies on efficiency to reduce cost and improve patient outcomes. Current methods for CIED manufacturer identification include identification cards carried by the patient, directly calling all CIED manufacturers and having them look up the patient in their databases, or chest x-ray. Identification cards are often lost by the patients or left in a wallet or purse that is not with the patient in the clinical setting. Frequently, the provider must make a guess regarding the CIED manufacturer during a patient visit, but this method may require a phone call to as many as all CIED manufacturers prior to appropriate identification of the correct manufacturer. This is a time consuming process that can utilize anywhere from fifteen to forty five minutes (15-45 mins.) of a healthcare provider's time. A chest x-ray is not only a source of unnecessary radiation exposure as well as cost, but it also is not a definitive method for manufacturer identification. In the end, current methods for CIED manufacturer identification result in poor utilization of healthcare resources, decreased efficiency, and healthcare dollars unnecessarily wasted on what could be a relatively simple task. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which CIED's can be quickly, easily, and reliably identified in order to avoid these problems. The development of the present invention fulfills this need.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within
The present invention describes a hand-held apparatus (herein referred to as the “apparatus”) particularly suited to record frequencies of radio waves emitted by devices 11 surgically implanted in a body of a person, identify specific signature frequencies 12, and match those frequencies 12 to an associated manufacturer of the implanted device 11. Referring now to
The resonant frequency is a frequency of alternating current passing through the array at which resonance will occur. The circuitry is configured such that resonance is a condition precedent for the circuit to operate. Configuration of the feedback and response circuits further enables a user to tune each resonant circuit to operate at a desired resonant frequency, thereby setting a resonant frequency for each array at the discretion of the user. To make the electrical circuitry 100 act as an identifier of signature frequencies 12 (see
The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the enabled user in a simple and straightforward manner with little or no training. The apparatus 10 would be configured as indicated in
The method of utilizing the apparatus 10 may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring the apparatus 10; plugging the electrical power cord 190 in a wall outlet; docking the scanner 20 into the charging port 180 of the charging station 30; allowing the battery 130 to store electrical power; allowing the MODEM 220 to facilitate the transfer of updated information to modify computer algorithms of the central processor 40; removing the scanner 20 from the charging port 180; inputting commands manually through the interface 50 if necessary; grasping the handle 70 and placing the wand 80 within operational range of an implantable medical device 11 so that the first antenna 90 is within a RF wave field emitted by an implantable medical device 11; allowing the electrical circuitry 100, the central processor 40, and second antenna 110 communicate with the implantable medical device 11, identify a signature frequency 12, and display the associated manufacturer of the implantable medical device 11 on the display screen 60; and, employ the apparatus 10 to assist with the quick and accurate identification of a manufacturer of a surgically implanted medical device 11.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Claims
1. A telemetric device comprising:
- an electrical circuit configured to operate when an alternating current of a particular frequency is received as an input, wherein the electrical circuit is configured to emit an alternating current circuit-signal of a certain frequency when in operation;
- a first antenna in electrical communication with the electrical circuit, wherein the first antenna is configured to function as an inductive current coil when placed in a radio wave field;
- a second antenna in electrical communication with the electrical circuit, wherein the second antenna is configured to radiate radio waves when alternating electrical current is passed through the second antenna;
- a central processor in electrical communication with the electrical circuit to generate binary outputs by performing algorithmic functions of a computer program based upon binary inputs, wherein the central processor is configured to receive the circuit-signal from the electrical circuit, convert the circuit-signal to binary information, assign a proxy value for the circuit signal, and obtain a matching value from a database;
- wherein the central processor further sends a command-signal based upon a match between the proxy value and the database value from the database; and,
- a display screen configured to display information regarding the matching value based upon the command-signal.
2. The telemetric device of claim 1 comprising a handheld telemetric device adapted to detect radio frequencies emitted by devices surgically implanted in a body of a person and to identify specific signature frequencies of the implanted devices.
3. The telemetric device of claim 2 wherein each specific signature frequency corresponds to a particular proxy value.
4. The telemetric device of claim 2 wherein the proxy value corresponds to a particular manufacturer of the implanted devices.
5. The telemetric device of claim 3 wherein the proxy value corresponds to a particular manufacturer of the implanted devices.
6. The telemetric device of claim 1 further comprising a housing containing the electrical circuit, the central processor, and the display screen.
7. The telemetric device of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuit further comprises a resonant circuit adapted to resonate at a selected frequency, tuning circuitry adapted to enable tuning of the resonant circuit to resonate at the particular frequency, and an excitation circuit adapted to emit the alternating current circuit-signal in response to the first antenna detecting a signal having the particular frequency.
8. The telemetric device of claim 7 wherein the second antenna is in electrical communication with the excitation circuit and is adapted to radiate radio waves corresponding to the alternating current circuit-signal.
9. The telemetric device of claim 8 wherein the tuning circuitry is further adapted to enable selection of a frequency of the alternating current circuit-signal.
10. The telemetric device of claim 7 wherein the tuning circuitry is adapted to enable manual tuning of the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.
11. The telemetric device of claim 9 wherein the tuning circuitry is adapted to enable automatic tuning of the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit in response to information received from service providers.
12. A telemetric device comprising:
- an electrical circuit configured to operate when an alternating current of one of a plurality of particular frequencies is received as an input, wherein the electrical circuit is configured to emit an alternating current circuit-signal corresponding to the particular received frequency when in operation;
- a first antenna in electrical communication with the electrical circuit, wherein the first antenna is configured to function as an inductive current coil when placed in a radio wave field;
- a second antenna in electrical communication with the electrical circuit, wherein the second antenna is configured to radiate radio waves when alternating electrical current is passed through the second antenna;
- a central processor in electrical communication with the electrical circuit to generate binary outputs by performing algorithmic functions of a computer program based upon binary inputs, wherein the central processor is configured to receive the circuit-signal from the electrical circuit, convert the circuit-signal to binary information, assign a proxy value for the circuit signal, and obtain a matching value from a database;
- wherein the central processor further sends a command-signal based upon a match between the proxy value and the database value from the database; and,
- a display screen configured to display information regarding the matching value based upon the command-signal.
13. The telemetric device of claim 12 wherein the central processor is configured to perform a Fourier transform on the particular received frequency to identify the particular received frequency.
14. The telemetric device of claim 12 wherein the electrical circuit further comprises a resonant circuit adapted to resonate at a selected frequency, tuning circuitry adapted to enable tuning of the resonant circuit to resonate at least at the particular received frequency, and an excitation circuit adapted to emit the alternating current circuit-signal in response to resonation by the resonant circuit.
15. The telemetric device of claim 12 wherein the electrical circuit further comprises a resonant circuit adapted to resonate at a selected frequency, tuning circuitry adapted to enable tuning of the resonant circuit to resonate at least at the particular received frequency, and an excitation circuit adapted to emit a communication signal corresponding to the particular received frequency in response to resonation by the resonant circuit.
16. The telemetric device of claim 15 wherein the second antenna is in electrical communication with the excitation circuit and is adapted to radiate radio waves corresponding to the communication signal.
17. The telemetric device of claim 16 wherein the tuning circuitry is further adapted to enable selection of a frequency of the communication signal.
18. The telemetric device of claim 12 wherein the electrical circuit further comprises plurality of circuit arrays, each associated with a different one of the plurality of particular frequencies, with each circuit array including:
- a resonant circuit adapted to resonate at a selected frequency;
- tuning circuitry adapted to enable tuning of the resonant circuit to resonate at the particular frequency corresponding to the respective circuit array; and
- an excitation circuit adapted to emit a communication signal corresponding to the particular frequency corresponding to the respective circuit array in response to resonation by the resonant circuit.
19. The telemetric device of claim 18 wherein the tuning circuitry is further adapted to enable selection of a frequency of the communication signal.
20. The telemetric device of claim 12 wherein the alternating current circuit-signal has a certain frequency and the central processor is configured to receive the circuit-signal from the electrical circuit, convert the circuit-signal to binary information and assign the proxy value based on the circuit signal.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jul 11, 2016
Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
Patent Publication Number: 20160317823
Inventor: Vassilis Dimas (Dallas, TX)
Primary Examiner: Mark S Rushing
Application Number: 15/207,432
International Classification: G08B 21/00 (20060101); A61N 1/372 (20060101); H04Q 9/00 (20060101); A61B 90/98 (20160101); G06Q 10/00 (20120101);